|
Pretty darn easy - installed the software, plugged it in, at home I went from seeing about 2-3 networks to 4-5, and then on the road, where I needed it most, got me 4 of 5 bars on the wifi connections where I was just getting 1 or 2 before.I'm not wild about spending the money either, but if you need the range, it does what's advertised, can't beat it.
The wireless dish is great.picked up signals from blocks away.i put 4 stars because instalation could be difficult for some users
Afterwards, I was diddling with Windows Network settings, and got it to work. I just purchased this adapter as a back-up for my internet satellite system, should it go down.I have the older dish -54DZ, but can't get it to work on my Vista laptop. So I sprung for the new dish - HWU8DD. We went through the reloading procedures several times, but no go. Maybe they should get better software programmers. Knew there were going to be problems upon opening it, with a flyer note saying "For Windows Vista Users.go to hawkingtech." Went through the download routine for the newest drivers, and loaded the program from the disk.
If you get it, just download and install the latest Vista drivers, (don't bother with the disk) then plug it in and configure it with the Windows Networking system found in the Control Panel. Even tried downloading the Vist driver for it, but no go. Here's my summary:This product is cheaply built, with lousy software (for Vista, anyways). No go. Then called support in India. Hawking gets good reviews, but I think it is dropping the ball lately.
Don't forget to turn off your computer internet when trying to use the Hawking device.
keep on trying. This was recommended to me by a fellow RVer. It took a reinstall after the Hawking support guy told me to return it & get a replacement. We used it on a New England trip this fall & it was able to pull in some WI FI signal where the wireless card on my Dell Latitude did not have a prayer. There was some heartburn while getting it going. Just before I was ready to give up & return it, the Hawking sprang to life. This must be related to the Cousin Eddie theory: "Falls in a well, her eyes go crossed; gets kicked by a mule, looks perfect".
It does take a bit of pointing to get it just right, but the signal is quite usable.With my built-in adaptor, on the other hand, the signal strength was inadequate.Complaints: the design is bulky (the dish does not fold conveniently flat or anything) and be forewarned to transport with care. This unit DOES increase the range. I am able now to use a signal in the neighboring office building (maybe 300' away) while sitting in my favorite coffee shop. I already popped the dish off its internal spring (secured by the usual flimsy plastic), but managed to reattach it (unscrewed the base and got the snap ring back on and gooped some abs cement on it to reinforce it). Also noted in my old XP portable some complications in switching between multiple wireless adaptors; but nothing I haven't found fixable via a reboot.
|
